Hellcats: Fire and Ice
by Queen Eli
Summary: The second book in the series. A few short years after defeating the Facility and the Loyals, a new enemy arises, a brother returns, and two dangerous new allies appear. Yaoi/yuri, predominantly UsUk.
1. Prologue and Characters

_**Senkō**_

_**Honō to kōri**___

_Hellcats_

_Fire and Ice_

A Hetalia fan-novel, sequel to Hellcats: Gold and Silver

**Plot: **In the few years after defeating the Facility and the Loyals, life has gone almost back to normal. Having moved their city to the mountains, the Hellcats are feeling safe; so safe, in fact, Alfred and Arthur decide to start a family. After Arthur gets pregnant, however, the unpredictable happens; the Loyals rise again, under their new leader, Sundara. He's no normal shifter, however; Sundara is a demon, an angry demon, out for revenge. He's going to hit the Hellcats hard, and unless they find out his weakness, they're doomed. Along the way, Arthur's older brother who is incestuously in love with him returns after years of absence, determined to win his brother's love. With the addition of two new, dangerous members from the streets, things are about to get very complicated. Lots of OOC for a good reason. Takes place in the 21st century. Has references to other books and anime. Yaoi/yuri. Mainly UsUk (Joker), side Franada, GerIta, NiChu, RusPru, Spamano, HungaryLiech, Edelweiss, TurGree, SuFin.

_Excerpt_

"There's been a development in the city," the messenger spoke, looking at Alfred and Arthur with almost panicked eyes. "They found a half-dead shifter, beat up and bloody and we think it may be someone you know."

"What did he look like?" Alfred asked, keeping a hand on Arthur's arm to keep him calm.

"Slightly tanned skin, tall, lanky, a cheetah we thing, wearing a white mask." For a moment, they were all silent, before Arthur spoke;

"That's my son, it's Sadiq!"

**THE CHARACTERS**

**SENKŌ (HELLCATS)**

**Leader: **_Arthur Kirkland, "Leader" or "Gold" or "One-eye"-_ a ruthless and dangerous killer, Arthur has led the Hellcats for fifteen years. Normally he wears a torn black shirt, jeans and a red bandanna to symbolize his status. He also wears a gold collar. He has short blonde hair, one green eye, and pale skin. In his cat form he is a Eurasian Lynx with yellow fur and green eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar in this form as well. His partner is Alfred. He wears and eyepatch over his left eye in both forms. His main weapon is a P-90.

**The Second: **_Alfred F. Jones, "Silver"-_ a loyal, independent and sometimes hard-headed cat, Alfred joined the Hellcats by accident. He wears his bomber jacket and pants of any kind. He wears a green bandanna to symbolize his status. He also wears a silver collar and glasses. He has short ash-blonde hair and sky blue eyes and pale skin. In his cat form he is a golden tabby American Shorthair with pale blue eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar as well. His partner is Arthur. His main weapon is a Daewoo USAS-12 automatic shotgun.

**Healer: **_Elizaveta Héderváry, "Scar"-_a mysterious yet dangerously sarcastic cat, Elizaveta is considered to be one of the most valuable members. She wears a brown jacket, blue shirt and jeans most of the time. She wears a brown bandanna to symbolize her status. She also wears a brown collar. She has long brown hair, green eyes and pale skin. She has a scar over her left eye. In her cat form she is a light brown tabby and white Ocelot she-cat with green eyes. She wears her bandanna and collar as well. Her partner is Lilli. Her main weapon is an AK-47.

**Healer's Apprentice: **_Lillian "Lilli" Zwingli, "Flower"-_an innocent-appearing, yet built-to-kill cat, Lilli is one of the youngest lab-cats, only having been tested on for two years before breaking out. She often wears brightly colored dresses, although in combat she wears camouflage fatigues. She wears a blue bandanna to symbolize her status. She also wears a blue collar. She has short blonde hair, green eyes and pale skin. She also wears a bow. In her cat form she is a golden and white Serval female with green eyes. She wears her bandanna and collar as well. Her partner is Elizaveta. Her main weapon is a SIG-Sauer P225 pistol.

**The Head Warrior: **_Vash Zwingli, "Gun"-_an aggressive, conservative and highly unemotional cat, Vash is Lilli's older brother. He often wears neutral colored clothes and mostly wears only t-shirts and jeans. He wears a gray bandanna to symbolize his status. He also wears a gray collar. He has shoulder-length blonde hair, green eyes and pale skin. In his cat form he is a golden and white Serval tom with green eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar as well. His partner is Rodreich. He has many guns, the most out of everyone, but his favored weapon is a 7.5mm SIG Stgw. 57 assault rifle as used by the Swiss army.

**The Spy: **_Rodreich Edelstein, "Note"-_a no-nonsense, prestigious, yet elusive cat, Rodreich is the Spy for a reason. He may not appear intimidating, but he's actually very dangerous and good at what he does. He often wears dressy clothes, but will change when he's doing spy work. He wears a teal bandanna to symbolize his status. He also wears a teal collar. He has short black hair that is normally slicked back, save for his Mariazell, violet eyes and pale skin. In his cat form he is a black and white Caracal with six-inch-long white ear tufts and violet eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar as well. His partner is Vash. His main weapon is a Steyr M-1A handgun.

**The Messenger: **_Sadiq Annan, "Runner"-_an often playful yet sly and cunning cat, Sadiq is the fastest of the cats but the least adapted to fighting and long combat. He is the most "fragile" of all of the cats, having bones only slightly stronger than a human's and the inability to fight for long periods of time due to the possibility of heart failure or lung collapse. He often wears hoodies and jeans. He wears a tan bandanna to symbolize his status. He also wears a tan collar. He has short, semi-curly dark brown hair, brown eyes (that are often shadowed by the mask he wears), and slightly tanned skin. In his cat form he is a light brown Cheetah with brown eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar as well. His partner is Hercales. His main weapon is a Yavuz 16 Regard pistol.

**The Jinx: **_Hercales Karpusi, "Clover"-_a quiet, almost reserved yet cunning cat, Hercales is considered the "condemned" of the Hellcats due to the testing he received, basically making him a ticking time bomb. Supposedly he should have died four years ago due to a brain malfunction the scientists gave him, but since he didn't, he became known as "the Jinx" and uses his power to condemn enemies to death. He often wears simple t-shirts and jeans and neutral colors. He wears an orange bandanna to symbolize his status. He also wears an orange collar. He has shoulder-length brown hair, green eyes and pale skin. In his cat form he is a brown and white furred Aegean cat with green eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar as well. His partner is Sadiq. His main weapon is a Galil SAR 5.56mm assault rifle.

**The Soldiers**

_Kiku Honda, "Sword"-_a reserved and somewhat socially awkward cat, Kiku was tested on the longest in the Facility (ever since its creation, three hundred years). He is hard-wired for killing and gathering information, which can make him appear very smart yet socially awkward. He usually wears simple shirts and pants but changes depending on the environment he's in. He has short black hair, brown eyes and pale skin. He wears a white bandanna and white collar. In his cat form he is a black, orange and white mi-ke Japanese Bobtail with brown eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar as well. His partner is Yao. His main weapons are two Nambu Type 14 pistols; in close-combat he prefers his sword.

_Wang Yao, "Shield"-_a somewhat childish and playful cat, Yao seems unadapted to gang life, but he fits in quite well as Kiku's shield. He is the oldest out of all of the cats. He usually wears a tan-colored jacket and pants. He has long brown hair, brown eyes and pale skin. He wears a turquoise bandanna and a turquoise collar. In his cat form he is a brown tabby and white Dragon Li cat with brown eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar as well. His partner is Kiku. His main weapon is a QBU-88 sniper rifle, since his main position is a sniper.

_Gilbert Beilschmidt, "Dog"-_a semi-aggressive, doglike cat, Gilbert has been hardwired to guard and protect, giving him his nickname. He usually wears a black jacket with a white t-shirt and jeans. He has white hair, red eyes and pale skin. He wears a sky blue bandanna and collar. In his cat form he is a pure white Snow Leopard with red eyes. He wears his collar and bandanna as well. His partner is Ivan. His main weapon is a Heckler-Koch SL-6 SL-7 rifle.

_Ivan Braginski, "Wolf"-_an intimidating, yet dependent cat, Ivan almost never leaves Gilbert's side due to his dependency on him. He is the biggest of all of the cats; most of them are lioness-sized, but he is full male tiger sized. He usually wears a long gray coat and pants. He has silver-gray hair, violet eyes and pale skin. He is the only cat who doesn't wear a bandanna, wearing a scarf instead, and he wears a light purple collar. In his cat form he is a silver and white Siberian Tiger with violet eyes. He wears his collar and scarf as well. His partner is Gilbert. His main weapon is a Saiga rifle.

_Francis Bonnefoy, "Joker"-_the con artist of the cat world, Francis is perfectly suited to life in the gang, unlike some of the others. He normally wears somewhat fancy clothes, but changes depending on the environment he's in. He has shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin. He wears a beige colored bandanna and collar. In his cat form he is a golden Chartreux with blue eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar as well. His partner is Matthew. His main weapon is a Chauchat C.S.R.G. Model 1915 light machine gun. Since it's not good for close-range (and not easy to carry), his other favored weapon is an Mle. 1935S.

_Matthew Williams, "Smile"-_an innocent-looking, yet inwardly insane and mentally unstable cat, Matthew's dark side of his personality didn't appear until after he joined the Hellcats. He has been known to kill only because he wants to. He normally wears a gray sweater and loose-fitting pants. He has short caramel blonde hair, dark blue eyes and pale skin. He wears a blue-gray colored bandanna and collar. In his cat form he is a golden yellow and white American Shorthair with dark blue eyes. His partner is Francis. His main weapon is a Diemaco C8A1 carbine.

_Feliciano Vargas, "Wine"-_a skittish yet smart and somewhat dependent cat, Feliciano has dependency issues and is almost always with Ludwig, however this may not be because of dependency issues, but instead because of how strong their partnership is. He has no normal outfit; it changes depending on the situation he's in. He has short reddish-brown hair, caramel brown eyes and pale skin. He wears a charcoal colored bandanna and collar. In his cat form he is a reddish-brown mix cat with caramel brown eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar as well. His partner is Ludwig. His main weapon is a Benelli Nova shotgun.

_Ludwig Beilschmidt, "Shotgun"-_nicknamed for his often explosive personality, Ludwig is the younger brother of Gilbert. He acts like both Feli and Gilbert's protectors and is very doglike like his brother, prone to protecting and guarding. He normally wears long-sleeved shirts and jeans, almost never changing his outfit no matter what situation he's in. He has short blonde hair that's usually slicked back, blue eyes and pale skin. He wears a dark spring green bandanna and collar. In his cat form he is a golden furred German Rex cat with blue eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar as well. His partner is Feliciano. His main weapon is an HK CAWS shotgun.

_Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, "Sail"-_nicknamed for his love of water and sailing, Antonio is almost the exact opposite of Lovino. He is quite carefree, but he can change very quickly if the situation turns dangerous. He normally wears casual type clothing, but he doesn't mind a change in outfit. He has short, semi-curly brown hair, green eyes and slightly tanned skin. He wears a dark lavender bandanna and collar. In his cat form he is a brown furred Spanish mix with green eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar as well. His partner is Lovino. His main weapons are two Star model P handguns.

_Lovino Vargas, "Stone"-_nicknamed for his almost stone-cold personality, Lovino is Feliciano's older brother and the exact opposite of Antonio. He is almost paranoid and can be easily frightened. He is quick to attack without question or provocation. He normally wears a trench jacket and loose-fitting pants. He also wears a bright yellow bandanna and collar. He has short reddish-brown hair (darker than Feliciano's), dark amber-brown eyes and pale skin. In his cat form he is a reddish-brown furred mix with amber-brown eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar as well. His partner is Antonio. His main weapon is an M-16 that he carries with pride.

**THE DEMON**

_Sundara Lucifer-_a demon who takes on the form of a red-haired, tan skinned Irish-Indian with black eyes and metal hands. His true form is a black-haired, black-eyed, dark skinned man with metal hands. He is very sly and cunning and enjoys killing blindly.

**THE ROAMERS (later a part of the Hellcats)**

_Berwald __Oxenstierna, "Spear"-_nicknamed for his weapon of choice (the spear), Berwald is almost always with Tino and becomes very protective and almost clingy over him. Since he is quite frightening, he is almost used as Tino's "body guard," since without him he would normally be disregarded. Berwald normally wears a long blue jacket and pants with boots. He also wears a dark blue-gray collar and bandanna after joining the Hellcats. He has short blonde hair, dark blue eyes and pale skin. In his cat form he is a black and golden Norwegian Forest Cat with dark blue eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar as well. His partner is Tino. Besides his spear, his main weapon is a CBJ-MS PDW sub-machine gun.

_Tino __Väinämöinen, "Shooter"-_nicknamed not only for his love of shooting, but also used like in the term "shoot [something at me, a question, etc.]" for his con-artist ways. Berwald acts mostly as his bodyguard, however, Tino is quite emotionally attached to him. He wears a light blue jacket and darker colored pants, sometimes adding black gloves and long boots. He also wears a pale violet collar and bandanna after joining the Hellcats. He has short blonde hair, brown eyes and pale skin. In his cat form he is a blonde and white European Shorthair with brown eyes. He wears his bandanna and collar was well. His partner is Berwald. His main weapon is a Valmet M82 rifle.

_Seumas Kirkland-_the estranged older brother of Arthur who is in love with him, Seumas disappeared for years after they escaped the Facility. Everyone believed he was dead until he returned. Arthur holds a visible dislike against him, and Seumas is determined to win his brother's love in any way possible; even if he has to kill, he will do it. He normally wears a brown trenchcoat with jeans. He has long red hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. In his cat form he is a red furred lynx with blue eyes. He normally wears a simple rope around his neck for unknown reasons.

**OTHER GROUPS**

**The Dog-Shifter Army:** an army of dog-shifters that were used by the Facility to counter the cat-shifters. They are currently building their own empire in a different stretch of the mountains.

**The Loyals: **a group of cat-shifters that were loyal to the Facility. They, like the army were used to counter the cat-shifters. They are now led by Sundara.

**Prologue**

**The Brother Returns**

_It's been a long time._

The red-head stood at the entrance of the city, arms crossed, looking at the entrance building.

_A very long time indeed._

He ruffled his hair, pricked his ears, and straightened his coat.

_Now I'm going to see you again._

Holding his arms behind his head, Seumas turned, going in the opposite direction. He was almost ready to make his debut.

_Whether you like it or not._


	2. Discuss Family, Babysitting, and Childre

**Chapter one**

**In Which Gold and Silver Discuss Family, Babysitting, and Children**

"Nikolas, please, sit still for five seconds..."

"No!"

"Just let me put a shirt on you and then you can play—"

"No!"

"_Nikolas_..."

"No!"

Again the white-haired boy evaded Arthur's grip, dashing to the top of the sofa and looking over at him. "No" was one of the few words the barely-one-year-old knew, and he used it quite well. Again, Arthur attempted to snatch the boy, but he evaded him yet again, running around the living room while laughing in his adorable, yet so very humiliating way. He, the great ruthless One-eye, who defeated the Facility and the Loyals, couldn't catch a kitten.

He was soon relieved, however, when Alfred came around the corner and caught the boy in mid-run, hoisting him up playfully as Nikolas writhed in his grasp. The little boy squealed and said a few words in rough German that sounded like "Put me down," but Alfred just laughed.

"Nope, you need a shirt before I put you down." It was true; the kitten had been running around all day without one on, and before they went to go meet his parents he would have to put one on. He'd been left with Alfred and Arthur since Ivan and Gilbert had to go on patrol, and they wouldn't have been able to return until now, late in the afternoon. Now, however, they were returning, and they could finally return Nikolas to his parents. The boy was simply a raw ball of energy, like most young Hellcats tended to be.

Alfred handed the boy to Arthur, who quickly pulled a shirt over his head before he could get away. Nikolas gave Arthur a look of displeasure, and Arthur just rolled his singular green eye.

"Don't look at me like that, Niko, you're the one who drew it out." The boy quickly jumped out of Arthur's arms and ran over to Alfred, burying his face in the tall cat's knees. "I don't know why he's running to you, you're the one who caught him." Alfred grinned as he picked Nikolas up again, letting the boy cuddle into his neck.

"He must just like me better," Alfred joked, and Arthur shook his head, smiling over at Alfred.

Things had just been so much more relaxed since the Facility and the Loyals were defeated, and finally, everyone had been able to relax. Some of the pressures of leading a Gang during wartime were relieved from Arthur's shoulders, and it made him relax a bit and let his more gentle personality show more often. He was obviously much more relaxed, and, since the threat of an immediate enemy were gone, he and Alfred had begun thinking towards the future. They'd been married not too long after Nikolas was born, and had started thinking about other things.

After turning Nikolas loose to entertain himself with the TV for a few minutes before they had to leave, Arthur leaned against Alfred's shoulder, half-closing his visible eye. Putting an arm around his shoulders, Alfred looked over at him.

"He's a wild one, that kid," he murmured, carefully watching Nikolas out of the corner of his eye as he flipped through the channels. "Do you think we'll ever have any that crazy?"

"I should hope not," Arthur replied, rolling his eyes. "About us having kids, though..." Alfred looked at him again curiously. "Elizaveta told me that...since everything's been so relaxed lately..." He paused, messing with his thumbs. "She said that I'll probably start the heat cycle soon."

"So..." he murmured, almost a bit nervously as he twitched an ear, before lowering his voice so Nikolas wouldn't hear, "No unprotected sex for a few weeks?"

"Well...I was thinking that, if that's true...then maybe we could try to have a baby? I mean, you did ask before so..." He trailed off, and Alfred leaned down to kiss him, nuzzling his cheek affectionately.

"Only if you want to," Alfred replied, and a little smile spread across Arthur's face, as did a blush. "Do you?"

"I do," Arthur murmured. "I want to try for a baby."

* * *

Later that day, Alfred and Arthur went to the entrance of the city to wait for the returning patrol. The patrols were much more organized than they were when they were underground; every two hours, a new patrol would be released to stay out for four hours before they returned. Even though their main enemies had been defeated, they still had to be very careful; the dogs were setting up their own empire of sorts in a different stretch of the mountains, and Arthur did _not_ want them meddling in their business. It was just about time for Ivan and Gilbert's patrol to return, and Nikolas was eagerly watching from where he sat on Alfred's shoulders.

"Where?" He asked enthusiastically, swinging his legs and unintentionally kicking Alfred in his shoulder blades. "Where Mama and Papa?"

"They're coming—ouch—stop kicking me please," Alfred murmured, trying to keep the boy's feet from hitting his shoulders. "Any minute now, buddy." He certainly hoped they'd arrive soon; his feet didn't _hurt_, per se, but the repeated injury was starting to bother him.

Eventually, they could see them coming up the path to the city, and Nikolas wriggled excitedly down from Alfred's shoulders, running towards his parents, happily exclaiming;

"Mama! Papa!" He ran to his mother first, and Gilbert picked him up, affectionately nuzzling the little boy. Ivan pulled both of them close into a hug, and Nikolas cuddled into his father's embrace. Of all of the kittens born in the gang, Nikolas had gotten the most attention. He was basically a symbol of a new era, the turning of a new leaf, and even though he hadn't been the one to lay the final blow on Sundita, Attilo, and Jones, he was still regarded as something of a hero.

After Gilbert and Ivan had given them their thanks and taken the boy home to put him to bed, Alfred and Arthur went to go visit Ivory, who was currently living on his estate. He'd requested to see them yesterday; it seemed as though the scientist was making up lost time with his sons that he hadn't been able to spend with them when they had been taken from him. He and Raven had also been married, and currently Raven was pregnant.

"I asked Matthew to come, but he's busy," Ivory was saying to them when they came. He was sitting on a swing that he'd made, an old-fashioned one, with a wooden board where you're supposed to sit and two long ropes connecting it to a tree. He was slowly rocking back and forth, with Alfred leaning up against the tree and Arthur standing beside him. It had seemed as though Ivory was letting his naturally childish spirit run free, now that he didn't have to act like a scientist anymore, and was making up lost time with his sons.

"I heard that he and Francis were off doing something," Alfred told him, shrugging his shoulders. After the Facility and the Loyals were finally defeated, the two had gotten much more intimate with their relationship. They were often seen together, rarely were they ever alone. It almost made Alfred jealous, but then he remembered that he had a partner as well, and that Matthew was no longer his only companion. He had a father too, now...the father that he'd always wanted. The father that he didn't know he'd been missing until he found him. He was no longer jealously watching the children walking down the street, holding their father's hand or riding on his shoulders. Hopefully, one day, Alfred would be like that himself, the loving father of he and Arthur's future child...if they were able to have one.

"Dad," Alfred finally said again, after moments of silence. Arthur was sitting now among the roots, his head resting against the tree, snoozing in the last rays of sunlight. Smiling slightly, he sat beside the sleeping cat, watching as his father jumped off the swing and came over to sit beside him as well.

"Hmm?" He asked, and Alfred cuddled up close to his father, nuzzling gently into his neck.

"Well we...Arthur and I...we wanted to try for a baby," Alfred finally murmured. For a moment, Ivory was quiet, before turning and hugging Alfred tightly.

"That's great, kiddo," he laughed, and Alfred felt a warm blush creep across his cheeks. Wriggling out of his father's grasp, he looked at him through slightly narrowed sky blue eyes.

"I'm not a kid anymore," Alfred told him, pushing out his lower lip and looking at Ivory indignantly. Ivory gave another laugh, reaching out and pushing back some of the hair from Alfred's eyes. It fell right back into place, of course, and Ivory's eyes twinkled with a new kind of happiness and love.

"You're still my kid, and you always will be."

* * *

That night, after Alfred and Arthur had returned home and were back in the bed that they shared, a dark shadow moved under the window. The figure twitched it's long, crimson tail, black eyes sparkling in the moonlight. The figure growled softly, before some loud snarls sounded behind him.

"What are you doing here, intruder?" One cat asked, fur along its spine and tail raising. For a moment, the red-furred cat flashed metal teeth, before jumping into the trees, and seemingly, disappearing. The cats that had spotted him looked up into the inky blackness, tilting their heads and cocking their ears. Shrugging, the two continued on their patrol of the borders of the city, not worrying about the mysterious figure.

Little did they know, that mysterious figure marked the beginning of another long struggle for the Hellcats.


	3. The Devil Wears Red

**Chapter two**

**The Devil Wears Red**

Alfred was worried about a lot of things.

First, he was worried about the strong scents of outsiders that the scouts had found on the outskirts of the city. Second, he was worried about how bold the dogs were becoming. The other day, a whole patrol of them were caught hunting on the Hellcats' territory. And finally, he was worried about Arthur. The cat had run off to the bathroom four times today, and now had locked himself in there. Alfred could hear him getting sick through the thin wooden door, and gently, Alfred knocked a few times.

"Arthur?" he murmured softly. "Hey, Arthur, are you okay?" There was a long silence on the other side of the door, before Arthur gave a shaky sigh.

"No, I'm not. Go away." Alfred felt a little hurt, but he reminded himself that it was probably just his illness speaking.

"Arthur, Sadiq needs to talk to you. He's been pacing around in circles outside for ten minutes." True, the cheetah did seem to be carrying some important, or frightening news with him. He had the manner about him of a cat who had just found out some terrifying news, something that he shouldn't have known about, but he did. He was gripping a letter in his hand like it was the last thing on Earth that he had to hold on to, and his tail was lashing furiously.

"...Sadiq?" Arthur finally poked his head out of the door, his face looking sickly and pale, his visible green eye dull and slightly lifeless. Alfred sighed in relief, happy that the mention of Arthur's adopted son had finally brought him out of the bathroom. "Bring him in. I'll...see what it is that he's got."

After Alfred had finally let the cat in, Sadiq made a beeline to the Leader, talking a mile a minute. His words and sentences were slurred together, and Arthur shook his head. It was all too much for his still ill-stricken mind to handle.

"Stop, stop, Sadiq, calm down," he told him, resting hands on the tan-skinned cat's shoulders. Sadiq let out an audible whine, and Arthur looked at him steadily. "Now, speak slowly. Tell me what's going on." Without having to be told twice, Sadiq shoved the letter into Arthur's hands, starting to shift from one foot to the other solicitously.

"Can't tell you who it's from, just read it," Sadiq whispered, his voice raising nearly an octave as he did. Staring cautiously down at the paper, Arthur opened the letter almost as if it were a live creature, something that could nip and bite him at will. Taking the paper out from the envelope and unfolding it, Alfred could see that it was written in a messy scrawl, like it had been written quickly. It was written in a thick, black ink, and only had a few words.

**I'm coming back to see you. Expect me soon. ~SK**

For a moment, Arthur could only stare at the letter. Suddenly, however, it slipped out of his hand and floated to the ground, like the wing to a butterfly, and Arthur fell over backwards. Alfred managed to catch him before he hit the ground, and he looked at his partner with slight fear and confusion in his eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked, the second time he'd asked in thirty minutes, and Arthur shook his head. Helping him back to his feet, Arthur kicked the letter away, his hands balling into fists.

"Seumas." He murmured softly, and Alfred tilted his head.

"Who?"

"Seumas. He's my oldest brother." Arthur finally pushed away from Alfred, standing on his own for a moment, legs shaking. He still didn't look well, and Alfred put a hand on his shoulder, gently rubbing the area right under his collar and bandanna.

"Whatever it is, wait until tomorrow to worry about it. You should go to bed." Arthur looked like he was going to protest, but he stopped, tightening his jaw and looking down.

"I'll...do that." The blonde then turned, gave Sadiq a goodbye hug and a kiss on his forehead, before going up the stairs and retreating into his bedroom. After he was gone, Sadiq left as well, picking up the letter from the floor and running off with it. He wondered for a moment why Sadiq had been so worried, and why Arthur had seemed so...angry. He also wondered, what with Arthur's recent illness, if it was possible that he'd...

With a little smile on his face, Alfred walked back towards the kitchen, a slight bounce in his step.

* * *

A short visit to Elizaveta a few days later confirmed Alfred's original thoughts on Arthur's illness. Arthur was indeed pregnant. While originally, his reaction was one of happiness (Alfred's was too, of course), it quickly turned to fear and anxiety.

"My brother..." was the first thing that Alfred heard about it, and he tilted his head curiously. He remembered what had happened a few days ago, and he needed to know exactly what it was about Seumas that bothered Arthur so much.

"What about him?" Alfred asked. Arthur was quiet for a moment, messing with his thumbs and sighing.

"He...he's kind of obsessively overprotective, I guess that's the best way to put it," Arthur replied. "He'll probably be furious when he finds out that I'm with you...and that I'm pregnant." He still sounded disbelieving, as if he didn't really think it was possible that he was really expecting a new life. Putting his hand down by his stomach, Arthur gripped his shirt, sighing shakily. Leaning over, Alfred hugged him tightly, grinning.

"Don't worry about it. I promised to protect you, remember?" Alfred murmured, nuzzling his neck lovingly. Arthur felt a swelling of happiness in his chest, and as Alfred pulled back, he leaned against his partner, tail twitching slightly. Then, another thought came to him, and he looked at Alfred with his one emerald green eye wide.

"Alfred...the baby...it'll have my eye," he said, with a slight tremor in his voice. The bigger cat ran his hand through Arthur's blonde hair, the smile on his face spreading.

"It'll be fine. We'll worry about it when the time comes." Alfred pulled his hand back, and Arthur looked at him almost sorrowfully, before sighing heavily.

"If you say so." Little did the two know, they were about to have a lot more problems than pregnancy and cursed eyes.

* * *

Seumas Kirkland was many things. He was a hateful, jealous person, he was uncaring, willing to step on people and kill if he had to get what he wanted. He didn't care about consequences. He enjoyed watching people suffer; he liked pain. However, there was really only a few things Seumas Kirkland wasn't. He wasn't submissive, and he wasn't a liar, and he prided himself in that. Not once in his life had he ever told a lie. He'd always been honest, and whenever he said he'd do something, he'd do it. That's why he was standing outside of Arthur's door, holding himself up high and dominant, his chin up, ears erect and twitching. He'd knocked on the door only a few seconds ago, and it finally opened, revealing the tired face of Alfred. He had good reason to be tired; it was only 10 in the morning, much earlier than he normally woke up on Sundays.

"Hello?" He muttered, and Seumas looked down at him with condescending blue eyes, ears flicking against his skull.

"I'm here to see my brother." Seumas replied, and a look of recognition crossed Alfred's face.

"Oh, you must be Seumas. One sec." He half-closed the door, looking behind him to where Arthur sat on the couch. "Hey Arthur, it's your brother." Almost immediately, Arthur stiffened, his head whipping around to face him. He could see the gleam of Seumas's cold blue eyes from behind the door, and he shivered a bit.

"Go ahead and let him in." His voice sounded flat and emotionless, but Alfred could tell that there was fear behind those words. He wondered if it would be a good idea to let the cat in, but Arthur had spoken, and technically, he was the one in charge. Opening the door fully, Seumas walked in immediately like he owned the place, looking around with scrutiny, before his eyes finally landed on Arthur.

"Arthur." A cruel smile spread across Seumas's face. He was looking quite intimidating, but Arthur didn't shake any more, his singular green eye staring into the icy blue depths of Seumas's.

"Seumas. Why are you here?" The red-head walked over to Arthur, sitting on the couch beside him and ruffling his hair. It looked affectionate, but Arthur didn't seem pleased with the action.

"I wanted to see you. It's been a long time." Arthur's gaze was still stone cold as he frowned at his brother.

"You're supposed to be dead." Seumas gave a laugh, a deep, maniacal laugh that reminded Alfred too much of Attilo.

"Brother, have you no faith in me? You really thought that simply because I branched off from your little runaway group that I _died_ like your little partner?" Alfred saw Arthur's visible pupil get smaller with rage at the mention of Rikki, and Seumas moved closer, running his hand through the side of Arthur's hair. "Oh no, little brother, I'm very much alive." Arthur slapped Seumas's hand away quickly, narrowing his eyes at him.

"Don't touch me," he snapped, and Seumas laughed again.

"Why? You're my brother. Why don't you want me to touch you?"

"Don't touch me like _that_. In case you didn't know, I'm married now." He lifted up his hand to show Seumas the gold wedding band, and a flash of emotion crossed Seumas's eyes. Alfred couldn't tell exactly what it was though: anger, hatred, confusion?

"To whom?" Arthur jerked his head in Alfred's direction, and Seumas looked at Alfred, and he could tell now that his eyes were filled with hatred and jealousy. "Oh. _Him_." Seumas spat the word out like it was poison, a bad taste in his mouth, as though he regarded Alfred as little more than a problem in his life. Alfred's ears pinned flat against his skull at that, and the hair along his spine rose.

"He's also the father of my future child," Arthur spoke again, still calm and collected. Seumas's head whipped around to face him, his pupils narrowing into slits.

"Are you...?" He trailed off, and Arthur nodded. Seumas's body remained stiff, but his tail was going at ninety miles per hour, lashing back and forth angrily, before he turned his eyes away from Arthur and looked down at the ground.

"I suppose I should have expected as much, what with me being away for so long." Looking back at him, Seumas's eyes adopted a sinister gleam. "I hope you don't mind if I stay at your camp for a while? I probably won't join your gang, but I do need a place to stay for a while." For a moment, Arthur was quiet, before nodding.

"As long as you _promise_ not to cause any trouble for the rest of the gang members." He looked at him seriously, and Seumas nodded at him.

"I promise."

Something about the cold grin that spread across Seumas's face made Alfred extremely uneasy, for a reason that he didn't understand quite yet, but would soon.

**[Hey there guys. Ugh, dear Jesus I'm hating this sequel x.x It's so not as good as the first one. ANYWAY, sorry for not updating quickly. I'm busy with schoolwork and my new social life *gasp!* so I don't have much time for writing. Thanks to everyone who's reading this, though!]**


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